File Photo/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

ELXN25

Linnsie Clark declared as next Mayor of Medicine Hat

Oct 22, 2025 | 12:10 PM

The returning officer for the City of Medicine Hat’s municipal election has declared that incumbent Mayor Linnsie Clark will keep her spot in the horseshoe.

Returning officer Tarolyn Aaserud made the declaration in a press release sent out by the City on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Unofficial results show Clark defeated former provincial politician Drew Barnes by about 750 votes in Monday’s municipal election.

As of Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Mayor-elect Clark received 5,844 votes of the total 18,033 ballots counted.

A total of 18,106 ballots were cast for mayor in the 2025 Municipal Election, according to the City.

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In total, 18,265 electors voted in the 2025 Municipal and School Board election.

Clark released a statement after she was projected to have secured the win.

“Although the results are not yet final, it appears that the people of Medicine Hat have chosen to place their trust in me once again. I am deeply honoured and humbled,” Clark said.

“To every resident who engaged in this election, whether you voted for me or not, know that if elected, I will continue to listen, collaborate, and work tirelessly for our entire community.”

The embattled mayor of Medicine Hat said she hopes the future council can undergo conflict resolution training after a tumultuous 18 months.

Clark said she hopes councillors can learn more about human resources matters going forward and that she herself still has work to do in the next four years.

In March 2024, councillors determined Clark breached the city’s code of conduct bylaw by failing to treat the now former city manager Ann Mitchell with respect during a tense exchange at a council meeting.

It later approved a list of sanctions that included suspending Clark’s duties and cutting her pay in half.

Months later, a Court of King’s Bench judge struck down most of the sanctions, describing the council’s decision as “disproportionate and unreasonable.”

Clark received significantly less support on the ballots than she had in the last election in 2021, when she secured over 66 per cent of the vote with five candidates.

During the 2025 election, Clark is estimated to have secured about 32 per cent of the votes for Mayor with six candidates running.

Council and School Board Trustee ballots were still being counted in the City’s municipal election Wednesday morning with the unofficial results announced that evening.

Results will be deemed official by noon on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.

Results can be found on the city website at medicinehat.ca/electionresults.

They can also be found on Chat News Today, along with the other municipalities in the area.

— With files from The Canadian Press